Restaurant management and PoS platform Flipdish and voice agent company Alayic have both launched AI phone order answering systems, which take customer calls and process their orders.
Flipdish’s conversational AI system takes “accurate orders, recommends smart upsells, accepts secure payments, and sends confirmed orders directly to the restaurant’s PoS or kitchen printer” the company said.
“In restaurants everywhere, the phone never stops ringing. But every missed call is an order lost to the competition,” said Conor McCarthy, CEO and co-founder of Flipdish.
“Flipdish AI Phone Agent ensures every call is answered, every order captured, and every customer served perfectly, without adding a single shift to the rota,” he added.
The agent has been launched to restaurant and takeaway operators in the UK, Ireland, and select international markets.
Early adopters already using the tech include Sushi Handroll, Burgerhood and UpShoots.
The AI is trained on the restaurant’s brand voice and menu, and can be set to suggests sides, drinks, and specials to increase average order value. Notably, the AI can accept secure payment during the call.
The company said the agent could currently be given a standard English or Irish accent.
“This isn’t just another AI tool. It’s the next evolution of the Flipdish platform, combining our deep hospitality expertise with advanced conversational AI to make operations more efficient, and more profitable,” McCarthy added. “We’re not adding complexity, we’re removing it, by letting AI handle the repetitive work so people can focus on great hospitality.”
Alayic’s solution – which, like Flipdish’s agent is offered on a monthly, pay-as-you-go basis – works in a similar way.
“Missed calls mean missed opportunities, lost revenue and dissatisfied customers, leading to negative reviews,” said Ric Clements, chief operating officer at Alayic.
“Our AI voice technology ensures that every customer call is answered instantly, accurately and professionally 24/7. It allows businesses to capture more sales, reduce pressure on staff and ensure no customer is left waiting – boosting profits while improving service,” he added.
The agent are among a growing number of AI conversation engines being put to work in customer-facing roles in hospitality. Earlier this year, Brad-Lee Navruz, who runs The Nippy Chippy in Stroud, launched Servemate, which offers an AI assistant, named Sophie, and works in a similar way. As well as taking orders, Sophie can respond to frequently asked questions, such as what type of oil is used in a dish, or an outlet’s opening hours.
Servemate is operating in more than 100 takeaways across the UK.
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